Ayahs 1–8 · word-by-word grammatical analysis Read the bilingual lesson for Surah An-Naba — Part 1 and test your understanding with a focused quiz.
Lesson
1. Surah An-Naba · Ayah 1
عَمَّ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ
Sentence structure
The ayah opens with a question: about what are they asking one another? عَمَّ is linked to يَتَسَآءَلُونَ, which forms the verbal clause.
عَمَّ — about what?
Grammar: This surface word joins the preposition عَنْ to interrogative مَا. The nūn assimilates into the mīm, and the alif of interrogative مَا is omitted after a preposition.
يَتَسَآءَلُونَ — they ask one another
Grammar: A form VI imperfect verb, third-person masculine plural and one of the five verbs. “و” is wāw al-jamāʿah: an attached pronoun functioning as its subject. The final “نَ” is the indicative nūn; its retention marks the verb as indicative.
2. Surah An-Naba · Ayah 2
عَنِ ٱلنَّبَإِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
Sentence structure
This phrase clarifies the topic and prepositional complement of their questioning: the great news. ٱلْعَظِيمِ follows ٱلنَّبَإِ as its adjective, agreeing with it in definiteness, gender, number, and case.
عَنِ — about
Grammar: A preposition. Its final kasrah eases pronunciation before the following word beginning with hamzat al-waṣl.
ٱلنَّبَإِ — the news
Grammar: ٱلْ is the definite article. نَّبَإِ is a masculine singular noun made genitive by عَنِ.
ٱلْعَظِيمِ — the great
Grammar: A definite masculine singular adjective, genitive because it describes the genitive noun ٱلنَّبَإِ.
3. Surah An-Naba · Ayah 3
ٱلَّذِى هُمْ فِيهِ مُخْتَلِفُونَ
Sentence structure
ٱلَّذِى describes the great news mentioned in the preceding ayah. Its relative clause is the nominal sentence هُمْ فِيهِ مُخْتَلِفُونَ: هُمْ is the subject and مُخْتَلِفُونَ its predicate, with فِيهِ linked to the predicate.
ٱلَّذِى — which / that which
Grammar: A masculine singular relative pronoun, indeclinable but in the genitive position as an adjective of ٱلنَّبَإِ.
هُمْ — they
Grammar: A third-person masculine plural detached pronoun functioning as the nominative subject of the relative clause.
فِيهِ — concerning it
Grammar: فِى is a preposition and the attached هِ is a third-person masculine singular pronoun in the genitive position, referring to the news. The phrase is linked to مُخْتَلِفُونَ.
مُخْتَلِفُونَ — differing
Grammar: A form VIII active participle, masculine plural and nominative; it is the predicate of هُمْ.
4. Surah An-Naba · Ayah 4
كَلَّا سَيَعْلَمُونَ
Sentence structure
كَلَّا firmly rejects and restrains their attitude. The following verbal clause warns that they will soon know the truth.
كَلَّا — No indeed!
Grammar: A particle of deterrence and rebuke; it rejects the preceding attitude and introduces a warning.
سَيَعْلَمُونَ — they will soon know
Grammar: The attached prefix سَ marks the future. يَعْلَمُونَ is a third-person masculine plural imperfect verb and one of the five verbs. “و” is wāw al-jamāʿah: an attached subject pronoun. The final “نَ” is the indicative nūn; its retention marks the verb as indicative.
5. Surah An-Naba · Ayah 5
ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَيَعْلَمُونَ
Sentence structure
ثُمَّ connects this renewed warning to the preceding one with a sense of sequence and heightened emphasis. كَلَّا سَيَعْلَمُونَ repeats the deterrence and warning.
ثُمَّ — then, moreover
Grammar: A conjunction that normally indicates sequence with an interval; here it also intensifies the repeated warning.
كَلَّا — No indeed!
Grammar: A particle of deterrence and rebuke, coordinated with the earlier كَلَّا.
سَيَعْلَمُونَ — they will soon know
Grammar: سَ marks future time. يَعْلَمُونَ is a third-person masculine plural imperfect verb and one of the five verbs. “و” is wāw al-jamāʿah: an attached subject pronoun. The final “نَ” is the indicative nūn; its retention marks the verb as indicative.
6. Surah An-Naba · Ayah 6
أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ ٱلْأَرْضَ مِهَـٰدًا
Sentence structure
The rhetorical question draws attention to Allah's power. نَجْعَلِ has an understood subject نَحْنُ, ٱلْأَرْضَ is its first object, and مِهَـٰدًا is its second object.
أَلَمْ — Did We not?
Grammar: The prefixed أَ is interrogative. لَمْ negates past meaning and makes the following imperfect verb jussive.
نَجْعَلِ — We made / appointed
Grammar: A first-person plural imperfect verb made jussive by لَمْ, with understood subject نَحْنُ. The final kasrah is a joining vowel before hamzat al-waṣl, not the mood marker.
ٱلْأَرْضَ — the earth
Grammar: A definite feminine accusative noun and the first object of نَجْعَلِ.
مِهَـٰدًۭا — a resting place / spread
Grammar: An indefinite masculine accusative noun and the second object of نَجْعَلِ.
7. Surah An-Naba · Ayah 7
وَٱلْجِبَالَ أَوْتَادًا
Sentence structure
This ayah continues the two-object construction of the preceding ayah. ٱلْجِبَالَ is coordinated with its first object ٱلْأَرْضَ, and أَوْتَادًا corresponds to the second object مِهَـٰدًا.
وَٱلْجِبَالَ — and the mountains
Grammar: وَ is a conjunction and ٱلْ the definite article. جِبَالَ is an accusative broken plural, coordinated with ٱلْأَرْضَ as the first object of the understood continuing verb نَجْعَلِ.
أَوْتَادًۭا — as pegs
Grammar: An indefinite masculine broken plural in the accusative, functioning as the corresponding second object.
8. Surah An-Naba · Ayah 8
وَخَلَقْنَـٰكُمْ أَزْوَٰجًا
Sentence structure
وَخَلَقْنَـٰكُمْ contains the conjunction, verb, subject, and object. أَزْوَٰجًا describes the state in which humankind was created: as pairs.
وَخَلَقْنَـٰكُمْ — and We created you
Grammar: وَ is a conjunction, خَلَقْ a first-person plural perfect verb, and attached نَا its subject. The attached كُمْ is a second-person masculine plural object pronoun.
أَزْوَٰجًۭا — as pairs
Grammar: An indefinite masculine broken plural in the accusative, functioning as حال and describing the state of the object كُمْ.